CROSSING OVER

Emma, a whole new career – what brought it about? Having been in bridal retail for 25 years as the owner of a busy city centre shop in Cambridge, and now visiting shops around the UK as a Wedding Shop Consultant, I understand the constant hard work that goes into creating unique and magical bridal experiences that brides want to share, post and shout about.

Over the years I managed to really fine-tune the selection of designers that excited our customer base while sharing our values as a business, which is how I got to know the amazing and supportive Morilee team. I loved my years as a bridal retailer but also very much enjoyed time away from the shop working closely with other businesses and the BA fashion students at Cambridge University. Although the decision to solely focus on training and consultancy was a hard one to make, the offer to become part of the Morilee family couldn’t have happened at a more perfect time.

What help are you able to bring to your retailers – what can they expect from you? The support Morilee offers its stockists is on several levels and usually starts with a ‘get-to-know-you’ phone call, a preliminary chat to see what we can offer that would best

Who better to advise a supplier about dealing with their stockists, than a highly-successful retailer? We caught up with Morilee’s newest member of the family, Emma Arnold, who has joined the UK team as Retail Development Consultant

suit a business and its team. At this stage, we will decide whether to begin with some fun product knowledge and sales training for the sales team, or an ‘owner visit’. The latter prioritises what has to be at the top of every retailer’s list, which is to ask the question: “Am I getting the maximum return possible from the collections I have invested in? If not, why not and how do I bridge that gap?”

Ordering samples is just one part of the complex equation that, once calculated correctly, will equal healthy returns and strong profitability. Morilee caters for all brides – I love how broad the company’s customer reach is – yet by fully understanding its collections and targeted merchandising, shops can also use this diversity to drive their own USP.

Our training starts with how to get enough ready-to-purchase brides walking through the doors, and encouraging past customers to become advocates for your boutique. Together we look at the customer journey and address any pressure points along the way, while highlighting potential areas for growth and increased margins.

What are the main challenges facing your stores? It’s been a great start to the training programme and fantastic to see shops

visited fired up and motivated, ready to maximise on the predicted increase in weddings forecast for 2022. Challenges vary, but often come back to time management, and knowing what to prioritise next when there barely seems enough hours in the day.

As owners, we didn’t stop, with many working all the hours under the sun while most staff were on furlough, to make sure that the business transition out of lockdown was as smooth as possible.

Stopping for a few hours and focusing on team training has really helped. The productivity of lessexperienced staff will increase, and there will be a greater level of understanding from your staff on how, as a team, they can be an integral part of a growing business with clear goals.

What do you think the main issues stores will have moving into 2022? Functionality. Shops need to look now at their systems, capacity and timetabling, while forecasting potential business pressure points. For example, many shops have a higher level of alterations already booked in for spring/summer 2022 than is typical by this time of year. To cope with this, a plan needs to be put in place now (again something we are more than happy to help our stockists with) that will allow retailers to focus on driving new sales forward and ensuring a healthy 2023, while offering top notch service to existing brides.

Having said that, the issues and pressure points shops are facing are always unique to their specific business, which is why we, as a supplier, believe in doing our best to support and understand our resilient and highly valued independent stockists.

Is there was one piece of advice you would give to stores right now, what would it be? People buy from People. Don’t just be a business – I can’t emphasise this message enough and again... it’s all part of the Morilee training!

A MORILEE HIT Deborah, style 2431, available in three lengths, has detachable sleeves, a crystal beaded waistband, and horsehair-edged hem. RRP £1900

Modern, glamorous and unforgettable... Let us introduce you to the SS 22 collection from Pure Bridal, where all gowns retail below £899. Please contact kerry@romanticaofdevon.co.uk for more information on becoming a stockist.